Download Egyptian Pyramids

Egyptian and
Mesopotamian Artifact
Activity
• Go to Slide Show on the Task Bar on the top and click
on View Show.
• As you view the slides of the Power Point, choose which
feature or features of civilization the artifact is an
example of and write it in the box next to it. (In other
words, you can use one artifact as an example of more
than one feature of civilization.)
• Complete this process for the Egyptians AND the
Mesopotamians. When you’re done, hand in your paper
and go to the website link on the last slide to explore the
Metropolitan Museum of Art Website.
Egyptian Pyramids
Finely carved ivory combs and knife handles
produced toward the end of Egypt's prehistory
demonstrate the high standards Egyptian artists
had achieved, even before the Old Kingdom.
This comb may have been part of the funeral
equipment of an elite person who lived about
5,200 years ago. Parts of the comb's teeth, now
missing, can be seen along the bottom edge. The
detailed decoration suggests that it was a
ceremonial object, not just an instrument for
arranging the hair.
On both sides are figures of animals in horizontal
rows, a spatial organization familiar from later
Egyptian art. The animals include elephants and
snakes; wading birds and a giraffe; hyenas; cattle;
and perhaps boars. Similar arrangements of these
creatures on other carved ivory implements
suggest that the arrangement and choice of
animals were not just random. Elephants walking
on snakes suggest that this part of the scene was
symbolic. The mythology of many African peoples
associate elephants and serpents with the
creation of the universe. The uppermost row of
this comb may symbolize a creative deity (god) to
whom the rest of the animals owe their existence.
Ivory Comb
Wall from Mentuhoptep II’s Tomb
King Nebhepetre Mentuhotep, often referred to as Mentuhotep II, was revered
(honored) by the Egyptians as the ruler who reunited Egypt after an era of
disunity known as the First Intermediate period. Mentuhotep II was the
founder of the Middle Kingdom.
He built his mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri in western Thebes, where this
relief was uncovered. The delicately modeled low relief and the finely
painted details demonstrate the high artistic standards that prevailed (was
favored) in the royal Theban workshops during this dynamic period in
Egyptian history. Especially fine is the goddess at the right of the block,
destroyed at the end of Dynasty 18 during the Amarna period. She was
repaired in plaster in early Dynasty 19, indicating that the temple was still in
use seven centuries after it was built.
See the
hieroglyphics?
The estate manager Wah was buried in a
small tomb near that of his employer,
Meketre. First seen in an X-ray of Wah's
mummy, this magnificent scarab
bracelet is extraordinary not only for its
superb craftsmanship but for its material
as well. Silver was not abundant
(plentiful) in Egypt and because of the
silver is fragile, most silver objects have
completely disintegrated.
This scarab is made of several sections
soldered (welded) together and has a
gold suspension tube running
horizontally between the base and back.
On its back, inlaid hieroglyphs of pale
gold give the names and titles of Wah
and Meketre. The tomb of Wah was
uncovered in 1920.
Scarab Bracelet
Hippo Statuette
This statuette(small statue) of a hippopotamus demonstrates the Egyptian artist's
appreciation for the natural world. It was molded in faience, a ceramic material
made of ground quartz. Beneath the blue-green glaze, the body was painted
with the outlines of river plants, symbolizing the marshes in which the animal
lived.
To the ancient Egyptians, the hippopotamus was one of the most dangerous
animals in their world. The huge creatures were a hazard for small fishing boats.
The beast might also be encountered on the waterways in the journey to the
afterlife. Therefore, the hippopotamus was a force of nature that needed to be
controlled, both in this life and the next. This was one of a pair found in a tomb
chapel. Three of its legs have been restored because they were purposely
broken to prevent the creature from harming the deceased (dead body).
Faience Sphinx
The inscription (carved symbols) and the facial features of this faience sphinx
identify it as Amenhotep III, pharaoh of Egypt. The graceful body of the lion
transforms quite naturally into human forearms and hands, an innovation
(new technique) of Dynasty 18. In this form, the sphinx combines the
protective power of the lion with the royal function of offering to the gods.
The even tone of the fine blue glaze and the almost flawless condition of
this sculpture make it unique among ancient Egyptian faience statuettes.
Shawabti
As the parents of Queen Tiye, wife of Amenhotep
III, Yuya and Tchuya were granted burial in the
Valley of the Kings. They were provided with
funerary equipment from the finest royal workshops,
as demonstrated by this superbly carved shawabti
on which even the knees are subtly indicated. The
text on these mummiform figurines states that the
shawabti will substitute for the spirit in any
obligatory tasks it is called upon to perform in the
afterlife.
Whip Handle
The horse was a relative latecomer to Egypt. It was introduced in the Second
Intermediate period during the Hyksos (people from Mesopotamia)
domination of northern Egypt (ca. 1667–1570 B.C.E.), when new elements
of warfare, notably the horse and chariot, were brought from the Near East.
During the New Kingdom, this animal became a familiar sight, and there
were many depictions of horses in art.
This small ivory handle of a light whip is carved in the form of a prancing or
running horse stained reddish brown with a black mane. The eyes, one of
which has fallen out, were inlaid with garnet. The lively carving of this piece,
especially the gracefully arched back, is typical of the ability of Egyptian
artists to bring out the essential qualities of animals. It also exemplifies (is
an example of) the fine quality attained (achieved) in the decorative arts
during the reign of Amenhotep III.
Coffin
The brilliantly painted exterior of the coffin of Khnumnakht, an individual unknown
except for his name, displays the use of multiple texts and decorative panels
characteristic of coffin decoration in the late Middle Kingdom. It has at least one
feature—the figure of the goddess on the head end—that is rare before the late
Middle Kingdom. The figures and hieroglyphs have been drawn by the confident
hand of a skilled artist and each hieroglyph has been carefully painted in the
prescribed manner of the time and place in which the coffin was made.
On the left side of the coffin box there is a small doorway in the center at the
bottom. This is basically a false door, which allowed the spirit of the deceased
(dead person) to move between the land of the dead and the land of the living.
Above the door are two eyes that look forth into the land of the living. The face
of the mummy would have been directly behind this panel. The rest of the
exterior is inscribed with prayers to various gods, particularly those associated
with death and rebirth, such as Osiris, foremost god of the dead, and Anubis,
god of embalming.
Egyptian hieroglyphics
The boat and more than twenty other models of boats, gardens, and workshops
were found in a small chamber in the tomb of Meketre, a Theban official.
Boat Model
Book of the Dead
This scene from the Book of the Dead shows the journey to the afterlife. Nany, a
woman stands the Hall of Judgment to the left of a scale. Her heart is being
weighed against Maat, the goddess of justice and truth, wearing a single large
feather. On the right is Osiris, god of the underworld and rebirth. He wears the
white crown of Upper Egypt and the curving beard of a god. On the table before
him is an offering of a joint of beef. Jackal-headed Anubis, overseer of
mummification, adjusts the scales, while a baboon—symbolizing Thoth, the god
of wisdom and writing—sits on the balance beam and prepares to write down the
result. Behind Nany stands the goddess Isis, both wife and sister of Osiris.
Roar
Euphrates R.
Tigris R.
Peoples who lived here:
Assyrians, Babylonians,
Sumerians, Akkadians
and many others
Mediterranean Sea
Nile R.
Also Called Mesopotamia
AFRICA
Red Sea
Babylonian Cuneiform
Mesopotamian Ziggurat or Stepped Temple
Sphinx Furniture Decoration
This sphinx was carved as
furniture decoration. It is from a
karum, or "merchant colony”
around the northern
Mesopotamian (Assyrian) city
of Ashur from around 1900
B.C. These decorations were
carved to represent the
creatures important in the
mythology of the ancient Near
East. This small female sphinx
is an idea borrowed from the
Egyptians. Her large almondshaped eyes and spiral locks
are similar to the Egyptian
goddess Hathor.
What is that an
example of?
HINT! What term
means the spread
and blending of
culture?
Carved Cylinder Stamp
Carved stones had been used to stamp impressions on clay from as early as the
seventh millennium B.C. In the fourth millennium B.C. carved cylinders were
invented. They could be rolled over clay and had complex designs. Seals were
either pressed on clay masses that were used to close jars, doors, and baskets,
or they were rolled onto inscribed clay tablets that recorded information about
commercial or legal transactions. (Late Akkadian)
Iron Age Cup
On the body of the cup from the Iron Age, four gazelles, framed horizontally by guilloche bands,
walk in procession to the left. Their bodies are detailed with finely chased lines to indicate hair
and muscles. The projecting heads were made separately and were fastened invisibly in place
by soldering, a process much practiced in Iran involving glue and copper salt.
These earrings come from the so-called Great Death Pit, which was
probably part of a royal tomb with an almost totally destroyed stone
chamber. Laid out in the pit were the bodies of six armed men and
sixty-eight people thought to be women or young girls, all adorned with
the most splendid jewelry made of gold, lapis lazuli (a blue gem stone),
and carnelian.
Earrings
Assyrian King Assurbanipal said, "I built
thereon [a palace with] halls of cedar,
cypress, juniper, boxwood, teak, terebinth,
and tamarisk as my royal dwelling and for
the enduring leisure life of my lordship.
Beasts of the mountains and the seas,
which I had fashioned out of white limestone
and alabaster, I had set up in its gates. I
made the palace fittingly imposing.“
In other words, he had a pair of these
limestone beasts, called lamassu, protect
and support important doorways in Assyrian
palaces. They are the human-headed,
winged bull and lion creatures. The horned
cap shows to their divinity, and the belt
signifies their power. The sculptor gave
these guardian figures five legs so that they
appear to be standing firmly when viewed
from the front but striding forward when
seen from the side.
Assyrian Lamassu
This 8th century NeoAssyrian ivory carving
would have been one of
a group of similar
panels used in the back
of a chair. It depicts
(shows) a bearded man,
perhaps a warrior,
holding the stem of a
lotus plant. Above him,
a winged disc provides
protection.
Assyrian Ivory Carving
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Man carrying a box, possibly for
offerings, Early Dynastic I–II; 2900–
2600 B.C.
Mesopotamia
Ax head
This ax head was found along the Oxus and Murghab rivers in modern Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan.
While these areas were barely inhabited during much of the third millennium B.C., by about 2200 B.C. permanent
settlements with distinctive forms of architecture, burial practices, and material culture had been established,
supported in part by active trade with parts of Iran, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley.
This silver-gilt ax is a masterpiece of three-dimensional sculpture. Expertly cast and gilded with foil, it represents a
bird-headed hero grappling (fighting) with a wild boar and a winged dragon. The idea of the heroic bird-headed
creature probably came from western Iran, where it is first documented on a cylinder seal impression. The hero's
muscular body is human except for the bird talons that replace the hands and feet. He is represented twice, once
on each side of the axe, so he appears to have two heads. On one side, he grasps the boar by the belly and on
the other, by the tusks. On the other side, the bird-headed hero grasps the winged dragon by the neck.
This figure strides with one arm raised and the other
held out, each having held a weapon such as a spear
and mace or thunderbolt. His pierced ears had earrings,
perhaps of gold, and he is clad in an Egyptian-style kilt.
The crown is the distinctive Egyptian crown of Osiris,
god of the dead. Here the figure represented is not the
Egyptian king but rather an ancient Near Eastern
depiction of a local deity (god) of the Levant area.
In the Late Bronze Age, a time of intense international
economic, political, and cultural connections, artistic
elements of a variety of cultures were incorporated
(brought into) into local styles. Egyptian art especially
influenced the art of the Levant at this time, resulting in
an "Egyptianizing" style. Excavations in Syria unearthed
numerous examples of small statues of local gods.
While the designs used may be similar to Egyptian
ones, the meaning was probably different and adapted
to a local gods likeness. Much is known about the local
religions through the text sources.
AGAIN! What is that an example of?
HINT! What term means the spread and
blending of culture?
Levant God
This tiny pendant was probably intended to be worn
round the neck as an amulet (charm). Small gold
figures with loops survive from Iran, Mesopotamia,
the Levant, and Egypt, so there was widespread
use of such objects. Similar objects from Hittite
culture suggest that these small figures were
portable representations of Hittite gods. The figure
shown here, cast in gold using the lost-wax
process, is of a seated goddess in a long gown,
with large oval eyes and a thin mouth with creases
at the sides. She is wearing simple, looped earrings
and a necklace. Her disk-like headdress probably
represents the sun, which would lead to the
conclusion that this may be the sun goddess,
Arinna, a major Hittite divinity(god). A loop for
suspension protrudes (comes out) from the back of
the headdress. On her lap the goddess holds a
naked child, cast separately of solid gold and then
attached. The chair on which they are seated is
backless and has lion paws.
Hittite Sun Goddess
By the middle of the first millennium B.C., kingdoms had emerged in southern
Arabia based on a monopoly of two of the most prized materials of ancient
times, frankincense and myrrh, which are native to the region. Every temple and
wealthy home in the Mediterranean and Near East burnt these incense resins
on altars. Saba was initially the most important kingdom but others, such as
Qataban and Macin, grew to rival it in power.
Bronze castings of large sculptures, as well as smaller objects, were made
through most of the first millennium B.C. and the early centuries A.D. in
southwestern Arabia. Among the types of animal images, bulls—a symbol of
strength and potency—are the most common and can be found on funeral sites,
seals, and sculptures of the period.
Part of a Urartian throne
with a god on a bull,
Arabian Bull Sculpture
Urartu was a powerful kingdom that rivaled the Assyrian Empire in the
first millennium B.C. It extended from northeastern Turkey into
northwestern Iran. Its settlements were palace-fortresses that
protected agricultural production and supported many crafts,
especially an extensive metalworking industry. In the late seventh
century B.C., Urartian centers were destroyed by an enemy whose
identity remains unknown.
This object, with the lower part of a figure standing along the flanks of a
bull, was most likely part of a throne. From better-preserved
examples, we know that the figure wore the horned crown of a deity.
The whole would have been gilded (covered in gold). A throne and
footstool supported by four deities (like this one) and their animal
companions would have been a potent symbol of the Urartian king's
power.
Babylonian Panel with Striding Lion
The Assyrian Empire fell when attacked by the Babylonians and Medes in 614 and 612
B.C. A new dynasty was established with its capital in Babylon. The new empire
thrived under King Nebuchadnezzar II. He maintained friendly relations with the
Medes and successfully dealing with Egypt for the control of trade on the eastern
Mediterranean coast. Babylon became the city of splendor. Because stone is rare in
southern Mesopotamia, molded glazed bricks were used for building and Babylon
became a city of brilliant color.
The most important street in Babylon was the Processional Way, leading from the inner
city through the Ishtar Gate to the Bit Akitu, or "House of the New Year's Festival."
The Ishtar Gate, built by Nebuchadnezzar II, was a glazed-brick structure decorated
with figures of bulls and dragons, symbols of the weather god Adad and of Marduk.
North of the gate the roadway was lined with glazed figures of striding lions. This
relief of a lion, the animal associated with Ishtar, goddess of love and war, served to
protect the street; its repeated design served as a guide for the ritual processions
from the city to the temple.
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